GROUND RULES: Support the Growing Norms

Ground rules, also known as cooperation rules, norms of conduct, rules of cooperation, and rules of operation, help regulate how a group of people will work together.

They save time and effort, as you do not have to decide on the course of action—they tell you what to do in what situation. How do you make decisions? What will happen if somebody does not agree with a proposition? Do you vote, or does the superior decide? If you vote, what fraction is needed to confirm the path? A majority? Two thirds?

Ground rules prevent conflicts by providing a pre-agreed pattern that helps match people’s expectations in different situations.

Why are group rules fundamental?

Think of any group as a system: it consists of elements connected a certain way by relationships. These relationships are no less meaningful than elements; they will sometimes be more meaningful. A simple example from a Chemistry class: the same element, carbon, depending on the relations between elements, can form graphite (the dark, soft mineral we appreciate in pencil leads) or diamonds (nothing like graphite).

Ground rules inform members what relationships should be. As with any communication, they are subject to communication principles, and the shorter they are, the more likely people will remember them.

Ground rules bring certainty to work life and can make it less stressful.

{COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES, GROUPS: A PARAMEDIC APPROACH, SUBJECTIVITY, CHANGING GROUP NORMS, POSITIONAL POWER}